OBJECTIVE: To search the evidence for the presence of superantigen of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin (SE) in the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis. METHODS: In a cohort of population composed of 42 cases who belonged to three groups: nasal polyposis, simple chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and control group without any rhinopathy, detecting the specific IgE against SE-A and B (SEA and SEB), total IgE (TIgE), eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) of the local mucosa by means of FRAST (UniCAP system), as well as the serum TIgE, and serum anti-SEA and SEB SIgE (only in 8 cases); meanwhile the secretion culture was performed for aerobic bacteria from the middle meatus. RESULTS: There was no evidence to support that SE played as a superantigen in all mucosa samples (42 cases) and 8 cases serum samples out of the 42 patients. The range of TIgE in mucosa was 4.59 -70.21 kIU/2 mg tissue protein, the mean was (17.85 +/- 14.31) kIU/2 mg tissue protein; in serum the total IgE was 7.44 - 344.00 kIU/L, the mean was (88.65 +/- 80.03) kIU/L The positive culture of Staphylococcus aureus was obtained from only 3 cases from secretion of middle meatus (1 from nasal polyps, 2 from CRS). There was no significance statistically among the three groups on the tissue fluorescence value of SIgE for SE, the means of tissue TIgE and ECP. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence was found to support the role of SE acting as a superantigen among our cases who did not have persistent asthma. It is suggested that further study and investigation is required to prove the superantigen Hypothesis in the pathogenesis of NPs.
OBJECTIVE: To search the evidence for the presence of superantigen of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin (SE) in the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis. METHODS: In a cohort of population composed of 42 cases who belonged to three groups: nasal polyposis, simple chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and control group without any rhinopathy, detecting the specific IgE against SE-A and B (SEA and SEB), total IgE (TIgE), eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) of the local mucosa by means of FRAST (UniCAP system), as well as the serum TIgE, and serum anti-SEA and SEB SIgE (only in 8 cases); meanwhile the secretion culture was performed for aerobic bacteria from the middle meatus. RESULTS: There was no evidence to support that SE played as a superantigen in all mucosa samples (42 cases) and 8 cases serum samples out of the 42 patients. The range of TIgE in mucosa was 4.59 -70.21 kIU/2 mg tissue protein, the mean was (17.85 +/- 14.31) kIU/2 mg tissue protein; in serum the total IgE was 7.44 - 344.00 kIU/L, the mean was (88.65 +/- 80.03) kIU/L The positive culture of Staphylococcus aureus was obtained from only 3 cases from secretion of middle meatus (1 from nasal polyps, 2 from CRS). There was no significance statistically among the three groups on the tissue fluorescence value of SIgE for SE, the means of tissue TIgE and ECP. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence was found to support the role of SE acting as a superantigen among our cases who did not have persistent asthma. It is suggested that further study and investigation is required to prove the superantigen Hypothesis in the pathogenesis of NPs.